Your fight against Infinite didn't go as expected. You've now seen what the false Chaos Emeralds are capable of and how their powers can be used by someone accustomed to that power. Though Infinite is no longer a threat, Eggman certainly is - and you're in no position to return to Chicago to try to take him down right now.
Focus on recovering and regrouping; you're going to need a plan to oppose Eggman from here on out.
THE VOID
Maybe you've grown complacent over your time in Chicago. You won't be seeing the city this week. Tails is adamant that it isn't safe to go back and insists that you remain here, within the Void between worlds. It is a still, silent abyss of nothingness, broken up only by gemstone-like shards that serve as platforms or obstacles, with very little else to see.
Gravity doesn't work properly within the Void, meaning you can float and even zip around at high speeds once you've figured out how it works. You can also stick yourself to shards no matter what angle you're at, resulting in walking upside down or otherwise getting stuck to one without being able to escape. Thankfully, this wonky gravity only applies to the Void itself, and you'll naturally come to master it as you spend more time here.
There are some shards that are shaped differently from the ones you can use as platforms, however. These are almost hexagonal, with a dark center that may flicker whenever you approach one. If you're lucky, the surface will flicker like water and show you images of another world - usually you will see Chicago and the robots rampaging through the city streets - but occasionally you may see glimpses of your home world or of other worlds. No matter what you do, you cannot interact with these visions. Since they do seem to be water, punching them will do no good; your hand won't even get wet, as it will go through and dispel the image entirely.
Settle in, it seems like you'll be here for awhile. Oh, and try to ignore that unnerving feeling of being watched - there's no escaping it when you're in the Void, after all.
RINGS
There is one bright spot in being stuck within the Void, and that's that your colorful little pals have rings. If you've been diligent about collecting them from whatever ridiculous places they've ended up in, you may even have a good amount! Though it will take a day or so for the rings to actually work, as the week goes on, you'll be able to world hop to your heart's content.
Which yes, means you could absolutely go home. Be mindful of your mission and just how long you spend there, because you will need to return eventually, right? Though time may work differently in the Void, it mostly works the same between worlds. Try not to spend more than a week back home.
But there is something a bit strange about world hopping; you can't really control where or when you'll end up.
You may arrive back in your home world at the wrong point in time entirely, either in the past or the future. You may end up in an alternate reality of your world (canon AU or fanmade AU) or you may even end up in someone else's world entirely! You all aren't used to using rings just yet, so it makes sense that there's some confusion.
Two of you attempting to use a ring together will have more success... but even then, failures can still happen and you can still be sent to the wrong places.
You may visit any world to exist except any Sonic worlds. Worlds where Sonic shows up as a cameo (Super Smash Bros, for example) are fine. Which yes, means I am barring you from visiting Sonic Underground, you'll have to forgive me.
SHARDS
Though you're stronger now than ever before, your power pales in comparison to Infinite's, let alone Eggman's. You're going to need to be much, much stronger if you want to stand a chance of fighting back. Maybe it would be worth it to visit a world full of monsters to practice using your shards.
As you fight with your allies - particularly those you have a close bond with, positive or negative - you may feel the tug of something in the back of your head; it tells you that you can do more. Together, you can become more powerful. You can use your shards together. Doing so will grant you a new power, or strengthen the one you already have. The more you trust one another, the easier this power will be to use.
It might be good to experiment with these new powers; after all, you never know when you may need them.
TAILS' TASKS
Rings can only be found in certain worlds, which means your worlds are safe from them. This does mean there are only a limited number of rings, however... so please keep this in mind when world hopping! This week, Tails does not have any tasks for you aside from continuing to train and develop your shard powers. Oh, and to stay safe, of course. Please don't get yourselves killed in some other world.
ENEMIES
Surprisingly, you will encounter none of Eggman's robots this week. The Void remains still and silent for the whole week and your worlds are free from Eggman's influence. You're welcome to beat up any enemies native to your own worlds, of course.
...On some level, I agree, but on the other hand... I find myself wanting to defend him. I too hated him for a good portion of the past sixteen years, considering I thought him responsible for part of my misery, but... he was but a man. I do not know if any human could have resisted Mordegon--if he had been taken over in a moment of weakness or if he just succumbed like any normal man would.
[ More takes a deep breath. He doesn't really want to talk about this, about who he is and was, but Jasper is opening up about things he'd surely rather keep hidden and it's only fair to do the same. ]
My judgement does not come from a place lacking in empathy. I... intimately understand the weakness that might lead a king to allowing his country to suffer, for I have been that weak king myself.
When a king falters, the people suffer for it. It's a painful reality that none involved can escape.
...honestly, now that I have been exposed to a world where it seems like the idea of monarchy has been relegated to a more symbolic role, I think that is the best place for it. It does seem as though democracy has its flaws, certainly, but... well, the obvious argument against monarchy is the idea of the mad monarch with unfettered power. Even so... for a just monarch with good intentions, it seems like a cruel burden to rest the entire well-being of a nation on the shoulders of a single individual. There is some benefit to having someone who is prepared for the role through the course of their entire life, but that someone is still ultimately fallible.
I do not doubt you made an attempt, of course. Compared to your self-assessment, the king of Heliodor... well. I would say he was a "good" king before he was compromised, but is difficult for me to be objective about him; he effectively stepped in as a father figure to me after my mother became too ill to care for me. And I suppose it is similarly difficult for me to be objective about you, as I rather like you but have no one's word but your own about what actually transpired during your reign. Regardless of my opinion on the both of you, though, it is difficult not to see the inherent problem in the system itself.
[ Hey, wait a second. You don't get to casually flatter him like this in the middle of this serious talk?? For as much as More wants to shut it all down and engage in further self-flagellation, his heart feels a little warmer for it as well.
Though he hurt people unforgivably in his own world, there are those here he has not yet let down. And maybe, just maybe, he can keep it this way, this time. ]
I certainly agree with that assessment. In my own world, I failed to imagine a world without a proper ruler... even when I was actively seeking to reform society into something more equal, I'd found myself ensnared by the monarchist thinking I had been surrounded by all my life.
It's been a revelation to come here and speak to people who have never experienced living under such a high authority in their lives. Their worlds may not be perfect, but they have already taken inspiring steps towards a better system.
It is difficult to think outside of the bounds of what you already know. Things have worked this way well enough for this long, after all; are the instances where they have not simply exceptions that do not prove the rule? How do you know if changing things will have the effects you desire?
...
Still... as much as I say that in this case, I feel like Mordegon was cunning enough that even a system like that... well. It felt like I was the only one who noticed the changes, or was suspicious enough about them not to explain them away. He played his part extremely well, and the only moves he made that were openly morally dubious were made once we were in the position to start making our moves to overflow the world order.
I am glad that being here has given you some space away from him to reflect without interference. Some men have a terrifying presence that makes clear thought difficult once they are around - I have known that feeling myself.
[ When the pope steamrolls you into letting your kingdom get way worse... Follow for more relatable content... ]
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My judgement does not come from a place lacking in empathy. I... intimately understand the weakness that might lead a king to allowing his country to suffer, for I have been that weak king myself.
When a king falters, the people suffer for it. It's a painful reality that none involved can escape.
no subject
...honestly, now that I have been exposed to a world where it seems like the idea of monarchy has been relegated to a more symbolic role, I think that is the best place for it. It does seem as though democracy has its flaws, certainly, but... well, the obvious argument against monarchy is the idea of the mad monarch with unfettered power. Even so... for a just monarch with good intentions, it seems like a cruel burden to rest the entire well-being of a nation on the shoulders of a single individual. There is some benefit to having someone who is prepared for the role through the course of their entire life, but that someone is still ultimately fallible.
I do not doubt you made an attempt, of course. Compared to your self-assessment, the king of Heliodor... well. I would say he was a "good" king before he was compromised, but is difficult for me to be objective about him; he effectively stepped in as a father figure to me after my mother became too ill to care for me. And I suppose it is similarly difficult for me to be objective about you, as I rather like you but have no one's word but your own about what actually transpired during your reign. Regardless of my opinion on the both of you, though, it is difficult not to see the inherent problem in the system itself.
no subject
Though he hurt people unforgivably in his own world, there are those here he has not yet let down. And maybe, just maybe, he can keep it this way, this time. ]
I certainly agree with that assessment. In my own world, I failed to imagine a world without a proper ruler... even when I was actively seeking to reform society into something more equal, I'd found myself ensnared by the monarchist thinking I had been surrounded by all my life.
It's been a revelation to come here and speak to people who have never experienced living under such a high authority in their lives. Their worlds may not be perfect, but they have already taken inspiring steps towards a better system.
no subject
...
Still... as much as I say that in this case, I feel like Mordegon was cunning enough that even a system like that... well. It felt like I was the only one who noticed the changes, or was suspicious enough about them not to explain them away. He played his part extremely well, and the only moves he made that were openly morally dubious were made once we were in the position to start making our moves to overflow the world order.
no subject
I am glad that being here has given you some space away from him to reflect without interference. Some men have a terrifying presence that makes clear thought difficult once they are around - I have known that feeling myself.
[ When the pope steamrolls you into letting your kingdom get way worse... Follow for more relatable content... ]